Chapter 397: I Will Destroy Whatever I Can’t Have
Christian walked towards the couple and greeted them, "Ms. Swift, Mr. Lewis, what a coincidence."
"Mr. Lucas, you’re here to run some errands?" Wendy replied out of courtesy. She was sure that it was not a coincidence that he was here. After all, he was the one who had arranged for their hotel stay.
"I..." Christian looked as if he was contemplating to say something that was not appropriate. "I don’t have any business here, but... oh well, never mind me.
Let’s not talk about it." Christian paused for a while before he continued, "I thought I saw the both of you quarrelling?"
"No," both of them replied at the same time.
Wendy looked at Todd and laughed. "It wasn’t a quarrel. We were just debating about some things that we didn’t agree on, that’s all. Don’t worry about it, Mr.
Lucas."
"I see. That’s good then. I was worried that you both would be like my brother and Yonina." Christian heaved a sigh of relief and looked more relaxed. "Where are you headed? I can give you a lift. Since my brother is here, shall we have lunch together?"
"Michael?" Wendy peered past Christian. She then noticed that the car Christian was leaning against earlier was Michael’s car. She was too engrossed in the quarrel to realize it.
"Sorry, I’ve crossed the line." Christian lowered his head slightly, looking a little guilty. But of course, he did it on purpose. He was here early in the morning, accompanying Michael just for this moment.
As Christian expected, Wendy strode over in the direction of the car. Michael wanted to zoom out of the carpark but there were cars parked around him so it would be difficult to drive out smoothly. By the time he started the car, Wendy was already in front of him.
Michael instantly wound up the window. He did not want Wendy to see him.
Wendy knocked on the window and said coldly, "No need to hide. I know this is your car."
Michael did not know how to face Wendy. But since he had already been found out, there was no way he could run away. He wound down the window once more.
"Why are you here?" Wendy took a deep breath. One could tell that she was trying to curb her emotions.
"I..." Michael could not look Wendy in the eye. He lowered his head and replied softly, "I was just... passing by..." Michael was in the car all this while. The car was quite a distance from where they were quarreling, so he did not hear a thing.
"Just how small is Lake City for you to be ’passing by’ this hotel at random?" Wendy scoffed. "Indeed, what a coincidence then."
Christian stood where he was, watching the drama unfold in front of him.
"Sorry..." Michael knew that his excuse could be easily called out. No one would believe such a reason.
From the corner of her eye, she was watching Christian. She said in a serious tone, "This is my last warning to you. There is nothing between us. I have a boyfriend as well. It’s Todd and we are getting along fine. I hope you won’t appear in front of us again, alright?"
Wendy took a few steps back and walked back to Todd. She interlocked her arm with Todd’s. Naturally, she did all these just for Christian’s eyes. But when Todd heard what Wendy told Michael, he could not help but wished that it was not an act.
"Okay." Michael could only manage a one-word reply, He was overwhelmed with sadness.
Wendy did not say anything more and turned to leave without looking back at Michael.
...
Wendy said to Christian as she walked past him, "Mr. Lucas, we have something on so we’ll be on our way. Have a pleasant day." She gave him a polite nod and left with her arm still interlocked with Todd’s.
After they had walked a distance away and was out of sight from the brothers, Wendy told Todd, "Michael and Christian are both here. It’s not the best time for you to go back to the hotel. Let’s do this. I’ll go to the mansion. I can give you a ride but I will drop you somewhere along the way. You can go for a stroll or a movie. I’ll give you a call when I’m leaving the mansion. Then we can come back to the hotel together."
Initially, Wendy’s plan was to stage the quarrel with Todd, who would go back to the hotel room while she would go to the mansion. But their plan had to change when they bumped into the brothers.
Todd agreed and said nothing else.
After the couple left, Christian went back to the car. "My dear brother, stop looking.
They’re long gone."
"Sending me a text message, telling me that they are staying here, and then turning up by my car at this time. Everything was just for this moment, isn’t it?" Michael laughed coldly as he looked at Christian. "Christian, are you satisfied now, seeing the state of affairs between me and Wendy?"
"Yes." This time, Christian was honest about it.
"You’re interested in Wendy, no?" It was not the first time Michael asked Christian this question. But Christian had never admitted it.
Hearing this question again, Christian’s expression changed. His arrogant smirk had changed into a bitter smile. His eyes darkened as he scoffed. "Yeah I do. So?"
"’So?’" Michael laughed. "So, to sabotage our relationship, you’re fine with sending her straight into Todd’s arms? Christian, you’re so benevolent. I’m impressed."
"Since we were young, you’ve always had everything I wanted. You’ve got the love from your parents, a doting grandmother who would spoil you, and a younger sister who respected and admired you. Countless people look up to you as their leader.
You can get whatever you want.
"But what about me? I was forced to leave Lake City when I was a teenager. I left my family back then and went to Rheinsville City all alone. Do you know how much I suffered all these years in Rheinsville City? I almost died a few times when I was there." Christian’s eyes became red as he thought of his past.
"Why do you deserve everything that you have, including a woman who loved you? I don’t understand. I’m your half-brother. Why are our lives so different? What did I do to deserve this?
"In all honesty, when I saw Wendy for the first time, I thought, ’What a wonderful lady she is. You don’t deserve her.’ And from the day on, I have made up my mind to make her leave you. What I didn’t expect was that you would fall for her. To me, it was a pleasant surprise. The more in love you are with her, the more miserable you will be when she leaves you.
"I know for a fact that Wendy would never love me. Of course, I don’t care who she loves in the end. Love is such a useless thing. I liked her, but I controlled myself and let go of the feeling. But for you, my brother, if Wendy leaves you, you would probably lose half your sanity."
"Christian, you’re really malicious," Michael said as his eyes locked onto his half-brother. Christian’s eyes were brimming with vengeance. When it came to being malevolent, no one could be as cruel as Christian. He was harsh even towards himself.
"I’m malicious?" Christian chuckled. He turned to look at Michael and gave a long sigh. There was a mix of envy and jealousy in his eyes.
"I am indeed malicious. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t live till this day. You have any idea how helpless I was while living abroad all by myself? You have any idea how petrifying it was to be caught between life and death? You have any idea how torturous it was when I didn’t even have enough money to eat? You have any idea how it felt when a young girl who was willing to sacrifice her life for you dropped dead right before your eyes? What made it worse was, I couldn’t even keep her body intact. If you were me and you experienced all of these, you’d probably be even more malicious than me."
"It’s your life. You made the choices. You’re not the only pitiful soul on earth," Michael said as he laughed coldly. "Yes, we have the same father and you were sent abroad when you were young. But how can you push the blame to me for all that has happened? I’m only a year older than you are. I only knew about you and your mother’s existence when I was ten. Do you think that your existence was a blessing to me?
"My blissful family, all the love and affection from my parents. Everything was a lie after I found out that my parents’ marriage was on the rocks. They were only holding on because of me and Isabel. By merely existing, you destroyed my family, which would have been complete if not for you. You have successfully claimed my father’s love and everything else. Christian, if you want to debate on what’s right and wrong, your mother was the mistress who broke my family apart. My mother is the rightful Mrs. Lucas by law. My mother married my father first and I was born earlier than you. Pitiful? Christian, what right do you have to feel pitiful for yourself?"
"I don’t feel that I’m pitiful." Christian took a deep breath and laughed. "Even if I ever did, that was in the past. Now, I am contented with what I have. So what if she is the mistress and not accepted by the Lucas family? My brother, aren’t you the eligible eldest successor of the Lucas family business? Soon, I will prove to everyone that you are just a joke and I can defeat you easily."
"All you wanted to prove is that you are more formidable than me?" Michael turned his solemn face towards his brother.
"Yes," Christian answered truthfully. "But not entirely because of that. I want to prove to myself that I can be formidable. More importantly, I want to destroy your life. I will take everything you have. And I will destroy whatever I can’t have."
"Destroy whatever you can’t have?" Michael repeated. This sentence sent chills down his spine. He grabbed Christian by his collar angrily. "Christian, I am warning you. You can take whatever you want, but if you dare to harm Wendy in any way, I will not let you off."
Six years ago, Christian was the one who threw Wendy out to sea. The car accident before that was also arranged by him. He had already been planning to end Wendy’s life. To Christian, Wendy was one of those that he wanted but couldn’t have.
Christian pulled his collar out of Michael’s grip. He patted Michael on the shoulder.
"My brother, don’t get so agitated. If I’d wanted to do anything to Wendy, she wouldn’t be alive today. Besides, I don’t want to end her life. As long as she doesn’t end up with you, I am fine with whoever she wants to be with. So, calm yourself down. Instead of being so frantic, why not just let her go so that she can go back in peace with Todd to Rheinsville City?"
